Active implantable medical devices (AIMDs) such as, for example, implantable pulse generators like pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are implanted in patients to administer electrotherapy to patient hearts. Once implanted in a patient, an external instrument such as, for example, a pulse generator programmer like the Merlin™ programmer as manufactured by St. Jude Medical, Inc., may need to communicate via telemetry with the AIMD to reprogram parameters, view an intracardiac electrogram (IEGM), and observe performance and interactions of the AIMD with the patient.
High power electromagnetical interferers such as, for example, strong magnetic power generating transformers, cathode ray tubes, compressors, and other machinery, are often abundant in a clinical environment. Such high power interferers emit strong electro-magnetic interference in the frequency band of the telemetry used to communicate between the external programmer and the AIMD. These strong, unwanted signals compete with the communications link between the AIMD and external programmer. As a result, the high power interferers can cause degradation of the telemetry link between the AIMD and the external programmer. At a worst case, the telemetry interference can result in an inability to communicate at all between the programmer and the AIMD. The telemetry interference can also result in missing real time data and also corrupted data, which slows down the data transfer and can also contribute to a loss of the telemetry link.
There is a need in the art for a solution to telemetry interference caused by high power interferers in a clinical environment.